HIGHLIGHTS
Arranged into twelve sections Invisible Men presents designer garments alongside military, functional, and utilitarian outfits.
It explores the design language of menswear which predominately focuses on the replication of archetypal functional garments intended for specific industrial, technical or military use. This endless replication, appropriation, and interpretation within menswear has meant that the meaning and function of the original archetypes has faded through each reiteration.
COTTON AND TELA STELLA SWEATSHIRT
Stone Island
1982
From Stone Island’s first collection this sweatshirt uses the reverse side of the fabric and is trimmed in Tela Stella, a 100% cotton raw ecru canvas that is overdyed in two different colours, then washed. Massimo Osti's inspiration for Tela Stella came from the study of the technical and functional characteristics of military truck tarpaulins.
CLINT EASTWOOD JACKET
Vivienne Westwood
1984
One of Westwood’s most iconic garments, the Clint Eastwood jacket highlights her creative approach to pattern cutting as a method to create new silhouettes for men. Cut almost entirely without curved lines the jacket takes on a heroic and exaggerated sense of proportion, with an extended rib knit to the bottom of the jacket and to the cuffs.
HEAT BONDED DEBOSSED MOULDED JACKET
Calvin Klein Collection
2009
Fall 2009 runway look 33 Foam casual zip-front jacket from heat bonded foam. Sleeves have three horizontal moulded stripes. Vertical single jet pockets on the main body with horizontal and vertical moulded sectioning. Collar has curved moulded detailing.
LEOPARD PRINT DENIM JACKET
Junior Gaultier
1989
Junior Gaultier was one of the first and most successful designer diffusion collections, aimed at both men and women and made the work of Gaultier accessible a much broader global audience. This leopard print jacket was available for both sexes.
DENIM PONCHO WITH JACQUARD BADGES
Liam Hodges
2015
Inspired by the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift, who were a camping, hiking and handicraft group founded in 1920, this oversized dark denim poncho is created from a cotton jacquard that was woven by the Gainsborough Silk Weaving company in Suffolk and features embroidered badges with graphics that reference the Scout badges of the 1950s.
GLEN PLAID SUIT
Alexander McQueen
1998
Part of McQueen’s S/S98 Golden Shower, or Untitled collection, which saw both menswear and womenswear featuring traditional tailoring that was dissected and spliced to incorporate contrasting panels of other suiting fabrics such as chalk stripe, plaid, or houndstooth.
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LEATHER ARMOUR JACKET
Vivienne Westwood
1988
Rather than plunder the recent past, Westwood consistently looks far further back into dress history for inspiration. From her aptly named `Time Machine' collection this black leather `Armour' jacket references plate armour in its cut and construction, with detachable sleeves with segmented shoulder panels that are attached to the jacket by leather straps.
FLOCKED JACKET
Carol Christian Poell
2002
At first glance this jacket from Poell’s A/W 2002 Attraction collection looks old and threadbare, however, it is, in fact, brand new, and has been given a well-worn appearance using a flocking process that takes place after the jacket is constructed, so that the flocking effect appears only on the exposed parts of the jacket leaving some areas bald.
BALLISTIC NYLON PARKA
Vexed Generation
1996
Co-opting the technology that the state was increasingly starting to use against its citizens Vexed Generation created this parka from Nylon 66, a high tenacity fibre which is knife retardant. Coated with neoprene the parka is fire retardant and has strategic padding through the pelvis, groin, kidneys and spine for additional protection.